Drawing the Line Against Communist Aggression

This poster depicts a map of Asia with a hand-drawn pencil line separating communism from going further south, with the caption: “It’s your choice: Where Do You Draw the Line Against Communist Aggression?” The poster was created by the Liberal Party of Australia in 1966, and it is unknown who created the poster. (Monash) During the course of the Cold War, Australia was a close ally of the United States. Along with New Zealand, Australia signed the ANZUS Treaty with the United States, and supported SEATO. Acting as a major American ally against communism in the Pacific, the Australians sought to stem the flow of communism from reaching Australia (McLean). The poster demonstrates that, and asks how far are Australians willing to wait before they take action against communism.

Artistically, this poster displays a map of Asia, primarily Eastern and Southeastern Asia. The map extends down to Australia, and goes as far west as India and Pakistan. The northern part of the map that covers China, the Soviet Union, North Korea and Central Asia is red, with arrows extended towards India and Southeast Asia. The arrows indicate the spread of communism, or ‘the reds’. A large hand with a pencil is drawing a line that separates Indonesia, Australia and the rest of the Pacific from the spread of communism coming from the north. The caption reads “It’s Your Choice: Where Do You Draw the Line Against Communist Aggression?” This poster’s goal is intended to mobilize Australians against the communist threat. With the domino effect in mind, the poster asks how many countries are Australian citizens willing to let fall before they take action.

The Liberal Party, who helped fund the poster, was the party in power throughout the course of the Cold War, and it still holds considerable power in Australian government to this day (Ovendale). The Australian government looked to the Americans over the British, due to similar histories and saw them as a valuable ally against communism. Joining ANZUS and assisting SEATO put Australia firmly in the Western Bloc (McLean). I was unable to locate similar examples to this poster, but the Australian government encouraged cooperation with Western powers to stop the communist threat.

Throughout the Cold War, the Australian government was firmly anti-communist, and with the help of the United States, worked to curb the threat of communism from spreading. The use of propaganda posters helped the Australians to mobilize their citizens, encourage anti-communist sentiment and create a desire to take action. It is unknown how effective the posters themselves were in mobilizing Australians, but judging from Australian foreign policy during the Cold War, Australians supported the government’s actions in combatting communism.

Sources:

McLean, David. “From British colony to American satellite? Australia and the USA during the Cold War.” Australian Journal of Politics & History (2006) 52, #1, 64-79.